Short Circuit x Young Film: Beyond the Belt – Wednesday 30th November 2022

Wednesday 30th November 2022

Scotland is brimming with creative talent and it seems that there are more opportunities than ever for those who want to work in film & TV. With new studios in Glasgow and Edinburgh attracting large-scale productions, we are in the midst of a production boom.

The Scottish screen industries have an ambition to build a robust future for homegrown talent on both sides of the camera. Focused support strategies and increased investment in local content, production skills and infrastructure are helping this sector to grow. Consequently, we need to look at how we find new talent across the nation.

Short Circuit is teaming up with Young Films to discuss sourcing talent beyond the central belt. We will be joined by Chris Young, Founder and Directing Manager of Young Films Foundation, Mairead Hamilton, Writer/Director and John Watson, Young Films Foundation.

Topics up for discussion are:

• The challenges and opportunities that come with running a film & TV business and creating content in remote locations
• The development and production of Gaelic language content
• The identification and development of local talent
• What resources and support there are for filmmakers outside the central belt or working in the Gaelic language

There will be a 20-minute audience Q&A at the end of the session for your questions.

About Chris Young

Chris is one of Scotland’s leading independent producers. After working as a Scottish Film trainee, he took a Diploma in Film Production at New York University before turning pro­ducer and setting up Young Films in 1986. Young Films started developing the hit TV show, The Inbetweeners, in 2006 with Channel 4. The show spawned a massively successful film, which became the largest grossing UK comedy film ever to be released in the UK. From its HQ on the Isle of Skye in 2013 Young Films created the Gaelic language drama series Bannan for BBC Alba, which ran for eight seasons. This project focused on working with local and Scottish talent and crew as well as training many new writers, directors, producers and technicians. From this initiative, Chris founded the Young Films Foundation which was launched in 2017, loosely based on the Sundance model

About Mairead Hamilton

Mairead comes from Sleat on the Isle of Skye. She graduated from Glasgow Univer­sity with First-class Honours in Gaelic and Film & Television. Her first opportunity in television drama involved working as a runner on the pilot episodes of Bannan. Hav­ing expressed an interest in directing, she was given the opportunity to work as the directors’ assistant on the following series and was subsequently offered the role of trainee director. Following this success, she then co-wrote and directed the majority of episodes across Series 3 – Series 8 of Bannan.

Please note that this session will take place via Zoom.us. You will be able to access the Zoom link 30 minutes before the event begins by using the link on your e-ticket.

This event will be live-captioned.